Affection
by omegafire17
Summary: In-between events of a new adventure, who's files are currently unavailable, several members of the Huntik team take their time to grow closer to one another. Files will be released in the order of decoding.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Huntik: Secrets and Seekers, nor it's characters.

 **Rating:** M

 **Tales of a few 'offscreen' intimacy sessions, as part of growing relationships.**

* * *

When she'd said it was an effort, she meant it.

Even though they'd done things like this before, and even as she's enjoying it, Sophie could feel her heart beating in her chest at what she had planned. Thankfully, while nervous, the prior experience is making it much less tempting for her to freeze... and also, because she's made sure to keep herself occupied, as much as possible. For minutes, even as Lok lightly squeezed her breasts - which repeatedly elicited little gasps from her - she sought to kiss him, lick his lips, or just roam her hands over his arms and legs. He didn't mind her affections, but it seemed to take awhile before his hands moved... yet when his hands slipped underneath her shirt, she'd managed to be ready for that.

Just relishing how his skin felt against hers.

His hands slowed before he touched her rib-cage, just short of her bra, before his forefingers started prodding the fabric- when she showed no signs of protest, Lok took it as a go-ahead. When he continued the light squeezes, Sophie had to resist a moan, if only because this wasn't the full experience... as good as it felt now, it'd be better later.

She just had to make sure she didn't lose herself until then, either to pleasure _or_ nervousness.

Sophie let this go on for a minute, settling more into the experience, then she made her move. At first Lok didn't seem to notice her hands pulling up his shirts, but when she nudged him, that got his attention - catching his breath, he closed his eyes and pulled himself up a bit, moving his hands down from her chest/under her shirt. As Lok did so, she leaned down and repeatedly kissed the corner of his lips, which curved into a smile as she continued pulling, feeling much the same. Seconds later, she had his arms up, which allowed her to take his shirts off with ease... she'd barely dropped them beside the bed before Lok kissed her full-on, something she returned easily.

It wasn't long before she brushed her hands over his chest- the initial contact seemed to jolt Lok, before he settled into it too. Sophie felt it a pleasure to explore, as while not exactly muscular, his muscles were all nicely-toned from the training and adventures they've had.

"Oh Sophie" Lok breathed during a break in their kiss. "That's the spot."

"Where?"

"That thing you just did a sec ago. Ah- near my right side."

Thanks to the sensations, it took a little to remember what he meant, but Sophie then moved her fingers. After a few kisses over his jaw/down his neck: "Here?"

"Lower- yeah there. Right there."

That pleased her, which helped her nervousness- Sophie made a mental note of this spot, and how to exploit it along with a few other spots. Feeling that now's as best a time as any then - because she's more in-the-zone - she briefly licked her lips before taking his hands, preparing herself. She was briefly distracted when Lok copied her earlier affection, kissing along her jawline and down her neck, and the pleasure took on an edge that definitely wasn't there before. This made her wonder, thinking she should mention this later if Lok didn't notice, but then she continued before she could lose her nerve.

When she brought his hands near her waist, he didn't seem to find it strange... until she got him grasping her shirt fabric; _that_ made him pause.

For a moment, only their breathing was audible, then Lok leaned back from her shoulder... his eyes had a bit of that glazed look, but mostly he was surprised. He glanced down at his hands, following by a slower trail up her body until it aligned with her chest, before he quickly, instinctively looked back at her after that.

Sophie just kissed him several times.

"You've felt me up for awhile now, Lok; it's only fair you get to see" she whispered, with only a slight hesitation.

His cheeks reddened even further at her words, and Lok actually gulped once, slightly; he was nervous too, of course. While she wanted him to get this done quickly, in consideration of her nerve, she did her best not to dwell upon that and just smiled- it wasn't long before she kissed him again, lightly licking his lip. Lok did return the favor, but more by experience and instinct than anything else, and his hands didn't move at all... Sophie kept it up though, focused upon the sensations and how she liked them. After a time, he seemed to ease into things, as he started kissing her back for real, and then he started to completely sit up.

While slightly surprised, she made sure to help him do so, particularly since his hands remained on/grasping her shirt.

As soon as she finished, Lok kissed her again, and his hands started to pull up-

-her heart raced, but she was committed; Sophie began to lift her arms.

As the air touched her skin, it felt a slight chill, particularly when her shirt was pulled up to her ribs- there came the slightest pause in things. Lok broke their kiss then, both of them catching their breath, but a second later Lok started pulling yet again. Sophie closed her eyes as the shirt pass her shoulders, and then up her arms/through her hair before it was off... close as they were, she almost physically felt Lok freeze, and his breath hitch. The nervousness tried to overtake her, but she focused on a different reaction; her pride, and how she knew he'd enjoyed feeling up in the past, along with now.

Before, she'd always been distracted from feeling this way - but now with her experience, she can feel that way with more ease.

When she half-opened her eyes, Lok's gaze was fixated upon her chest, eyes wider and mouth open a bit, cheeks redder; this sight increased all the feelings she had, but particularly her pride. Honestly, what she wore _was_ quite a sight: a red lace tube bra, without shoulder straps and aside from specific strategically-placed sections, was a bit sheer in the cups, adding to the allure. Likely due to his experience at having felt her up, it didn't last any longer than three seconds before Lok stirred out of it, though his breath remained heavier. He spent a little time looking at her expression, at the love, her pride _and_ nervousness, before he again glanced at her bra, including the sections that went around her sides.

"I- wow" he breathed, his lip curving- she didn't need his words to know that he approved, but they certainly helped. "Sophie, you... I really like what I see. But this- this isn't the end, is it."

More easily now, Sophie cupped his cheeks and kissed him, before angling herself near his right ear.

"No, Lok. If you can figure out the trick, as I believe you will, I- I won't be opposed at all" she whispered, feeling him shiver a little. "But r-regardless, there's still one other thing, in addition... but I don't want you doing anything serious for that part, not tonight. Alright?"

Barely a pause. "Sure" he breathed, more gentle if curiously-nervous. "I'll do that."

The warmth became a little better, and she smiled. "Good."

"Still, do you- will that other thing be first, or do I get to 'try' up here?"

So he said as one hand lightly moved over her back, briefly settling upon the back section of her bra, though she would've understoodd his meaning without this.

"You can try first, Lok" Sophie admitted, giving him a little kiss. "If you can't figure it out, I'll take care of things after a minute."

Lok took in a little breath, also giving her a kiss, holding her close afterward. "Yeah, 'if'" he breathed, slightly playful- she managed a little smirk, even if he couldn't see it at the moment.

Trying to keep track of the seconds, she felt it as Lok's hands both moved over her back strap, just as anticipated- she doubted he'd fail, but you never know. Closing her eyes, Sophie felt it as he found the catch, doing brief tests with how he might pull it apart... somehow, focusing on those little sensations kept her heartbeat from getting too fast, or perhaps she's just that focused.

More than a half-minute passed...

Just then, his next try was to hold the catch between both his thumbs, pushing them inward-

-and this allowed it to come undone.

...

So that's how it was- definitely not something that you'd think to do, not on a first try anyway, or so was his thought. But then again, he'd almost 'felt' that there were multiple hooks just because of how the force was applied; his knack for solving puzzles had come in handy here too.

Lok still took his time though, a bit caught up in the moment, and his enjoyment of it.

Honestly, the second he'd gotten her shirt off, his mind had remembered back to months ago, when Sophie had teased about him wanting to see her in a swimsuit (and his tease back that he's seen her in a wetsuit already, several times). He'd felt seeing her in a swimsuit, while pretty sweet, _utterly paled_ to how warm and excited he felt now; this was a whole new level of things, compared to a fun day at the beach. It'd only gotten worse (in a good way) once he saw her bra, which was not only pretty enticing by itself, but the fact that it was (partly)-sheer _really_ got to him... no wonder he'd been staring. And more than that, it's making it difficult to 'keep himself down' without a little effort... but on that one, he's determined to keep himself controlled, at least for as long as possible.

Didn't want to make things even more awkward for Sophie, not while she's nervous.

Speaking of whom though, Lok noticed that she's doing a lot better than their last times- still nervous, as is he, but it's no longer getting her to stop midway. She _did_ seem to be using her pride as a clutch - or something similar - yet he believed that as long as it works, let her do so; he knew she can do this.

In the few seconds that he'd hesitated, Sophie was taking in a few breaths, before half-opening her eyes.

"Lok?"

Her voice jolted him out of it. "Oh. Sorry" he breathed, hands moving a bit on her back, still holding the two halves of the catch. "Guess I'm nervous, a-about what's next."

After a second, her expression softened and she leaned down, hair tickling his chest again as she kissed him, but he did his best to return it.

"If it helps, I love you" she whispered against his mouth then, really close-

-he was quick to kiss her again, repeatedly. "Oh yeah, that's helping" Lok whispered back, feeling warmer. "I love you too, Sophie."

"I know. And I don't care if I'm nervous; I want everything I've said before, e-even if I hadn't been able to say it directly."

"That's okay, really; I know you can do it, and I trust you completely."

She gave him an especially deep kiss for that, and he half-saw her smile before she leaned up toward his ear:

"As do I trust you, Lok. So, if you wouldn't mind... you can let go now, but close your eyes until I say."

While he did wonder, Lok immediately nodded his head, doing both- he felt Sophie adjust just over him, no doubt leaning back. The moment he pulled her bra off, Sophie seemed to make a sound, though it could've been his imagination (as it was faint)... yet even as he wondered where to put her bra, it was taken from him, thus answering that question. Then for a time, she adjusted a fair bit on the bed, almost making him think she's gonna get off, but apparently she didn't need to. The entire time, they were both quiet except for breathing, yet thankfully he wasn't letting his imagination run much (or at all), which let him prepare for whatever's next.

After a time: "Lok? You can- can look now."

Hearing the nervousness in her voice, Lok began to get an idea, but slowly did as asked-

-and again he was left surprised, along with shocked.

At the moment, Sophie couldn't seem to to look at him yet, and her arms were covering her chest, so all he could really see was the top portions. That much didn't surprise him, for several reasons... but what _did_ surprise him was one key thing: she'd removed her skirt as well. The red color of her panties was the exact same as the time he'd accidentally seen them, during that battle with Kiel in Huntik- might even be the same pair for all he knew. They were far more simple than her bra, design-wise, and not sheer at all, yet that stuff didn't matter as he looked; just the way it hugged her body was enough for him.

So much in fact, that his body began to 'react'-

-Sophie jolted slightly, glancing downward, but it was hard to tell if she was (more) nervous or not.

The moment he realized this, Lok nearly gulped. "I- uh- s-sorry, Sophie. Give me a second, and I'll-"

Whatever he was going to say trailed off, as she moved slightly against his groin- the sensations stopped him, as did his reactions to this. Over the next few seconds, she continued to move slightly against his groin, several times, but never moving otherwise... then she glanced at him, cheeks redder but with a little smile.

"Honestly Lok, at this stage, having that reaction was to be expected" Sophie whispered, leaning down toward him - she kept her hands/arms as they were, but she hovered above his lips. "If you hadn't started getting aroused by now... I would've been offended."

A little tension left his body as he breathed out, not only glad that she's not more nervous, but also because he couldn't argue with _that_.

"That's- that's putting it mildly" he managed to say, if sheepishly sincere.

To that, Sophie's only response was to playfully kiss his nose- he had to admit, he liked how she did it.

"Still, uh- what about moving my hands over your hips?"

For a moment, all he felt was her hot breath, even as she seemed to settling into things better. "You still can, Lok; you've done that well before now" Sophie assured, before giving him a little look. "But remember what I said."

Lok still felt slightly sheepish, but his nod was sincere. "Yeah" he breathed, kissing her for a few seconds then, moving his hands over her bare back. "Nothing serious. Just moving over your hips, and maybe... m-maybe your tailbone."

Remembering that little incident, Lok just felt really warm in several ways- Sophie herself just seemed to jolt, as if she just remembered too, and he said nothing as the seconds passed.

"...t-that too. But little else."

"Okay. But, just so I'm clear... do you want me to be a little bold, like normal? Or save that for later?"

"I can handle it, Lok."

Next thing he knew, she kissed him again, hard, not intent on letting him go anytime soon- he did his best to return it while keeping his grip on her back. Then he started to lean up again, and it took awhile for Sophie to adjust, seeing as her arms were crossed over her chest along with sitting on his legs... still, eventually they were both upright, her legs yet again on either side of his. Even as the kiss intensified, both of them adding their tongues, Lok had to admit he's feeling _really_ tempted right now; Sophie was half-naked in front of him, kinda in his lap, and he was enjoying it. So much in fact, that he was feeling new instincts to not only pull her arms away, but indulge her chest... but she's still nervous, and she'd just put a lot of effort into getting this way too.

So instead, rubbing his hands in circles, Lok moved his hands down Sophie's back as they kissed... the way her back arched a bit as he got lower showed a lot of reactions, but she let him go on.

Just as he hovered over her lower back, inches above her panties, they briefly had to pull away for air.

Sophie's voice was a little breathless: "Y-You don't want to... to see them, yet?" she panted, as if surprised.

"I do" Lok gasped right away, before dialing it back. "Really. But maybe this will- will help ease you into things."

A little kiss on his lips again. "Or deny me the- the little boldness I want, where I want it" she breathed, virtually pouting. "Still... I wouldn't mind if you stoked my pride again."

In the back of his mind, that confirmed his earlier thought; Sophie's using her pride as a clutch, at least somewhat, so that she doesn't stay too nervous. Not that he minded, as pride is a part of who she is and part of what he admired about her, and he wouldn't have her tone it down unless it's necessary - this certainly wasn't one of those times.

He gave a little smile, feeling it probably won't be long before it stops being a clutch.

"I really want to see your body, Sophie. See how- how lovely it is."

"That's more like it."

...

Truly, Lok is a good man, managing to see _how_ she's struggling and wanting to help her, but also willing to let her handle things on her own. Just like that last experience in Huntik, where instead of taking her opportunity, he'd stopped things because he saw that she wasn't quite as prepared as she'd claimed... once they're both experienced, he'll no doubt be formidable at pleasing her.

All the more reason for her to learn his spots well, so she can return the favor.

Lok's fingers stayed over her lower back, teasing at her tailbone now - Sophie still intended for him to get with what she said, as she can't keep her arms like this forever, but for now she decided to let him. She made sure to lean forward, 'pulling' Lok into a kiss that quickly included their tongues again, and gradually pushing herself more against his body, even with her arms in the way.

On the one hand, their body contact made her feel better/less nervous, but at the same time made her even more acutely aware of Lok's groin.

They weren't going to do anything as such... but it's still getting increasingly hard, as expected, and part of her was a little 'curious'.

Just then, Lok's hands made a half-move onto/over her tailbone and she instinctively hitched from surprise, feeling a small rush go up her spine. Her mind instinctively flashed back to that first experience, where Lok had seemingly done so by instinct...

"I-Is that okay?"

"Oh yes, yes" Sophie whispered. "Just- just don't stay there too long; I still want your hands... elsewhere."

Lok couldn't answer immediately, as she'd kissed him after finishing that sentence, but she's certain he got her meaning- he had to be tempted by her chest. That thought did increase her nervousness, but even moreso, it continued to stoke her pride and brought a smile to her lips, knowing he's going to enjoy her there (as he should).

Surprisingly though, he broke off their kiss seconds into it. "That's good" he breathed to her. "Still, uh, Sophie-"

"Yeah?"

"-you can do the same. Your hands on me, down there."

A half-second after this registered, and after a brief spike in heart-rate, Sophie started to give him a small look. "Lok-" she started, almost chiding.

He didn't seem surprised, but also didn't back down. "I know: can't take off, can't go underneath" Lok answered, sincere. "But you- you already kinda started on me, when you... moved against me earlier."

"...I suppose that's fair" Sophie admitted, shifting a bit. "But no matter what, that's as far as I'll go tonight. I know I made that clear already, but still."

"That's fine by me."

Part of her wanted to ask why, even as she agreed, but for now she filed that away and nodded, before they kissed again. They remained as such for at least a minute: virtually sitting in each other's laps, close enough that her arms kept bumping his chest, yet Lok's hands kept moving along her butt, improving the warmth. Still, after a point Sophie found that keeping her arms like this was _really_ getting in the way; she wanted so much to caress his cheeks, or thread through his hair, but couldn't like this. That combined with the sensations made her determined, and since Lok seemed content to continue, it gave her some time to prepare.

Slowly, her kisses with him remaining instinctive, Sophie moved her arms without brushing against Lok's chest. She definitely felt nervous again, but kept pushing so as to not freeze up... gently then, she brushed her fingers across his cheeks.

At first Lok didn't react, except positively, because he didn't think anything was wrong with that-

-but several seconds later, the realization hit him and he jolted, motions slowing (but not stopping).

Ending their kiss, they both caught their breath, and she saw his eyes half-open but staying on her face- he became a little intent, as if to see whether she's forcing herself or not. Sophie returned the scrutiny, giving a little nod to show that it's okay - that she's okay - before his look eased, and he returned the nod. Giving a little smile, Sophie kissed him again, hard... in fact, hard enough that her efforts pushed him until he/they were laying on top of the bed. Lok made a sound, trying to adjust in several ways, even as she hovered just above- he looked at her for a bit, before his gaze slowly moved down her body.

Despite having braced herself, Sophie had to fight her nervousness- she wanted this, and more than that so did Lok.

Half in her own thoughts, she didn't register Lok's reaction, at least not at first: he went utterly still for a moment, breath caught in his throat. Yet while his eyes widened and his mouth had opened a bit, that reaction only lingered for a few seconds, and gradually began to tone down as he remembered their previous times... where he had _thoroughly_ felt her up. By the time Sophie was fully aware again, she saw his surprised, open staring take on a more approving gleam, and it brought such a rush of warmth like she hadn't experienced before. Before she could say anything though, she distinctly felt Lok's hands move up her body and- and then brush the sides of her breasts.

Her breath hitched... the sensations were both familiar, and new, yet oh so _good_.

In that moment, they looked at each other, and Sophie's first reaction was to kiss him-

-Lok didn't mind at all, and returned the favor as his hands slipped sideways.

The warmth kept building as his fingers worked, leaving her enjoying this, and no longer caring much about her nervousness or trying to fight it. Sophie even had to stifle a gasp as Lok's hands moved, as the way he brushed over her nipples kept sending jolts through her spine- if she weren't careful, she might even indulge in yelps.

And that's- t-hat's not really 'wrong', but she can't do so _all_ the time.

Determined to keep herself in control, she glanced down and smirked a little, then started to get up from/off of Lok's legs. They adjusted so as to keep kissing/doing other things, and he didn't seem to mind that she'd finally gotten off him; no doubt he could start feeling his legs again. All the same, Sophie was careful as she got onto Lok's right side- sitting upon his upper legs was fine with his 'condition', but she still wanted to err on the side of his comfort. Still, part of her was relieved and a little excited: sitting like that had been a great position, but their closeness had prevented her from bending down and using her mouth to 'indulge' his chest, like her hands had been doing.

But now, she could return the favor.

...

At first, Lok wasn't sure why Sophie got off of him... but needless to say, he quickly got the idea.

And on a side note, the _sensations_ under his fingers were just absolutely great, hands down: he didn't think he'd ever get tired of feeling up her breasts. And while he couldn't do much 'down below', he also had to say, he was really getting into the feeling of Sophie rubbing against him, including when he did much the same... which needless to say, was making him harder.

Having broken their kiss, Sophie gave him a little lidded look, which really worked for him- and more than that, showed that she didn't care about being nervous anymore. Then she moved her head between his arms, making him have to lift them slightly, and next thing he knew she'd kissed his chest several times. That was rather new, and he had to admit that he was surprised, the first time- he soon liked how her kisses made him feel warmer, in more ways than one. Then she cranked it up by occasionally teasing his chest with her tongue, hesitant and gentle through her first attempts, with particular focus on his own nipples.

Pretty sure that's making them even, but he really didn't mind if it was.

And secretly, Lok liked Sophie doing that for another reason: with her head lowered, whenever he wasn't working on her chest/stealing (a lot of) looks at it, it allowed him pretty deep access to her hair, which he never got tired of stroking (and apparently neither did she). And on a more lustful note, because he could lean his head up while her's is down, he could see past her head... to where the rest of her body was raised, and the way her butt was in the air, so-to-speak.

 _Definitely_ liked that... not sure when he'll tell Sophie, but it won't be tonight; better to savor the experience first.

"Oh, oh yes..."

"Lok, not so hard."

"Sorry" Lok breathed right away, loosening his grip in her hair.

Sophie lifted her head then, but her smile was curiously crooked, as if saying "I understand, but I _will_ be cross with you if it happens again". He couldn't help but smile, leaning up and kissing her several times in reply, then he carefully leaned forward... before she could even ask, he started giving kisses to her left nipple, followed by the right.

A stifled sound from Sophie, followed by some heavier breathing; she liked it but was evidently trying not to (completely) let loose.

Heh, he'll see about that...

Lok kept it up for about a minute, enough to see/feel her getting used to the gentle kisses-

-then he gave her left nipple a very thorough lick.

Sophie's resulting moan was music to his ears, as were the follow-up sounds when he continued the process on both sides- it took about ten seconds for her to try stifling them, but she didn't otherwise didn't protest. Part of him was disappointed, even though he knew that was coming - she might still be embarrassed/nervous deep down - but he didn't dwell upon it and just kept up his work, replaying the sounds in his head.

Faster than he'd expected, her nipples were definitely hardening against his tongue, which drove him on even more.

It seemed to go on for awhile, though in reality it was only a few minutes...

"L... L-Lok?"

Kinda-focused on what he's doing, he didn't reply.

"Ah! Mmh-mmh- Lok?"

Jolted out of it, Lok pulled back and had to catch his breath - Sophie seemingly did the same for a little, but it wasn't long until her hands found his cheeks. When he looked at her, he found her expression flushed and her gaze full of a fair bit of desire - all of which he probably had too - but there was an intentness there that wasn't part of their desires.

"S-Sophie?" he breathed, saying a lot with just her name.

There was a small quirk to her lip, even as she caressed his cheeks. "Let's... let's stop there, for now."

His bodily reaction was quite strong, as he didn't want to stop... but after seeing the same in Sophie's eyes, and hearing the small effort in her voice, he knew he had to keep his head. "W-Was it... too much?"

"Mmh, no. It was... you were _wonderful_ , Lok" Sophie whispered, absolutely sincere as she kissed him, deeply; he returned the favor. "It's just, I'm starting to- to want even more... but we're not ready for that."

Yeah, yeah that's probably right, because neither of them wanted to risk getting carried away- wordless, Lok nodded his agreement and returned the little smile, before he motioned his head, and started to adjust on the bed. It didn't take Sophie long to get the idea - carefully moving over his legs, she lay down beside him, on her side and unconsciously smoothing her hair for the transition. He watched her do that, though he would admit to more glances at her chest, as seeing them from this angle was new... though, that could've been the lingering want. Or maybe not, since his arousal was slowly fading away too- but hey, what could he do about that now?

When she'd gotten comfy, they both looked at each other warmly, even as her hand found his.

"You were pretty great yourself, Sophie" he whispered, sincere. "Not just how you worked your hands, a-and your mouth, but doing all that while you were still nervous?"

Her hand squeezed his, while the other one came to brush against his arm - whether by instinct or otherwise, this had the effect of half-covering her chest, though still with her nipples visible. "It was harder than I would've liked, but I couldn't let that stop me" she admitted, before her lip quirked. "And now that we've done all that, I don't think there will be many more problems... a-at least, until-"

"-we get even more intimate" Lok finished for her, if having to suppress a gulp.

Sophie glanced away for a time, but didn't deny it.

He moved his arm and gently held her around the waist, moving his head closer- to her surprise, he kissed her on the nose, like she'd done to him earlier. "But, I don't think it'll be too bad" he whispered, more soft if also nervous, "With this experience, you'll be more sure of yourself the next time, w-which I'm sure there'll be before we... go any further. That should help, Sophie."

She gave him a small, approving little smirk. "Perhaps a little obvious, but I do appreciate you saying it, Lok" Sophie said, almost playful.

He just chuckled, holding her even closer with his arm.

Her gaze moved toward that for a bit, the smirk softening, before she glanced back at him. "Still, as far as- as tonight, I'll need a little more time before I can say what I liked" she admitted, "Right now, except for two minor things, it's all a blur of 'great'."

"Eheh, likewise. We can wait till tomorrow night, or something... but uh, what were those minor things?"

Sophie's lip curved, even as she moved a bit. "Despite making it clear where I- I wanted your hands, you chose to keep them 'elsewhere' for a time, against my wishes" she said, in this curious little tone. "Also, one time you got a bit overzealous about gripping my hair."

Lok looked at her for several seconds, then slowly chuckled. "Okay. Don't make a habit of either" he said, giving her a bit of a playful look in return. "Though, it's not like I have to obey your wishes _every_ time."

A little twitch in her expression, but not one of anger/annoyance. "Clearly. But I like it better when you don't dawdle."

Rather than take that bait, he pulled Sophie even closer to him, to her surprised sound- they were both clearly aware of her chest brushing against his arm, and his cheeks grew warmer, but he kept his gaze on her face. He put his answer and more into a kiss, even touching his tongue to her lip, which after more surprise got her returning the favor... he never got tired of the way her tongue touched his, and knew quite a few other things from tonight applied as well.

Even after they separated, he kept drawing her into little kisses.

"You know I still have to get dressed" Sophie whispered at one point, though her tone said 'I don't want this to stop'.

"Hehe, yeah... hey, if I might ask, can you get my shirts for me?"

"Of course."

Even as she got up from the bed after extracting herself, in no hurry while he watched her go - including 'discreetly' checking her out - Lok reflected that if he weren't healing, her response would've been different. Nonetheless, he appreciated her helping him out a little, along with everything that just happened between them... particularly since Sophie had wanted them to get this far.

"Lok?"

"Hmm?"

When he got out of his thoughts, he saw that Sophie was sitting upon the floor, pulling on her red skirt- as soon as it was properly on, it immediately went about it's job of covering her open legs. Lok lingered on that slightly, remembering her telling him about that unique aspect of her family's magic (and more), before he actually looked at Sophie; "Yeah?"

"You said earlier, that you didn't want to go further than what I'd wanted" she said, a bit hesitant but steady. "Why was that?"

"Well uh, mostly it's... it was about making sure things were good."

Without a word, Sophie gave him a raised-eyebrow look, even as she handled her bra now.

Slightly sheepish, Lok cleared his throat; yeah, that hadn't come out _exactly_ right. "I mean, I know that no matter what, having s- uh, being intimate won't be perfect" he said in a hurry, his cheeks heating back up again. "Because we don't know all the right and wrong spots, we don't know how good it'll be, overall. And- I dunno, I just want us to at least be... a _little_ experienced first, so that even though it might still be awkward, we could make each other feel good too."

By the time he finished, she'd managed to get her shirt as well, all while still listening- her cheeks were still red like his, but she gained a little smirk. With one hand, she grabbed his shirts and 'threw' them at him like a ball, intentionally aimed at his head (of course), but he caught it by reflex.

Her tone was warm: "Fair enough, Lok."

Giving a little nod and a smile, he started putting on his shirts, even as Sophie stood up and came back around to the bedside. He noticed this several seconds after the fact, and it was obvious Sophie had been watching his chest, kinda like he'd been doing earlier- that made him feel warmer, but he didn't mind that she'd stared at him.

And moreover, his heart was beating faster because he had a feeling about what's next...

"So, I guess this is goodnight" Lok breathed, more gentle.

One hand upon her hip, Sophie didn't answer, but instead just eyed the bed and how he was arranged- then, briefly, she motioned in his direction. "Would you... mind?" she breathed, almost nervous again.

Just like his feeling said- considering they've spent awhile sleeping in the same room, this was bound to happen sooner or later: not just sleeping in different beds, but the _same_ bed (even if nothing more would happen).

"No, I wouldn't Sophie."

She looked grateful, easing as she slowly got onto the right side, while he carefully moved himself above the covers, using his arms to move his healing leg.

"Lok, do you want my help?" Sophie asked, pausing when she saw this.

"No, that won't be necessary" Lok assured her. "I'll sleep above the covers; it's easier that way, if I need to get up during the night. I won't be that cold, so don't worry about me."

For a moment, she didn't say anything, which made him believe that she didn't entirely agree- even still, Sophie nodded and leaned forward. He returned the kiss with ease - though it was short, he enjoyed the love that passed between them, especially after what they'd just shared.

"Goodnight, Lok."

"Sweet dreams, Sophie."

* * *

 **Like in Book Three, Book Four will have times where otherwise-romantic, even intimate moments just 'cut to black', mostly to keep to a T rating hehe. But of course, it's also so that while romance is explored naturally, the story doesn't contain so much that it detracts from the adventure or the overarching plot- and now, the moments are becoming involved enough that I can make pseudo mini-stories about them, contained in this separate fic. This particular chapter takes place during the middle of Book Four's story, for reference**

 **Also, expect updates for this to be spread-out and infrequent... though the second chapter probably won't be too far behind; I'm fairly close to realizing the intimacy of this fic's other pairing :P Overall, each chapter won't have much context until Book Four is released - including the beginning set-up of where/how things led to such a point - since it might lead to spoilers.**

 **^Still, it'll allow me to give updates on my progress :) At this point-of-writing, I've completed 14(-out-of-26) chapters and am working through the 15th, but this is also somewhat technically - a large portion is still early writing, missing POV's that aren't the main group, etc etc. I am a little over 112.5K words at the moment, but that's not a final indicator of length, either in general or if it'll be longer/shorter than Book Three. At _absolute best_ , I might complete it by the end of this year, but it's better to have an outlook for it next year at present. I wish I could be more specific, but I want to be sure before I get anyone's hopes up**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Huntik: Secrets and Seekers, nor it's characters.

 **Rating:** M

 **Tales of a few 'offscreen' intimacy sessions, as part of growing relationships.**

* * *

Truth be told, he hadn't prepared for tonight, even though he didn't _mind_ where this was going.

Zhalia remained lightly pressed against his body, hands on the back of his head and neck, respectively- she showed no hesitation, but Dante could sense it's still deep underneath, least for now. Their mouths had opened slightly in their kiss... still, she made no further moves other than her roaming hands, and just sat beside him on the bed.

"Ah- Zhalia."

Slight panting, but little more reaction.

"I'm sure you already know this" Dante whispered, eyes half-closed, her head close to his shoulder. "But once you start, there's no going back. When that happens, I _will_ return the favor as best I can... unless we try to push things too hard."

Zhalia didn't speak for a time, though her hands didn't pause- if anything, she seemed focused on breathing.

"'As best you can', huh" she eventually whispered back, quiet but soft. "So you have no experience, except for what we've done already. Is that what I'm hearing?"

He gave a small chuckle in response.

"Well it may be obvious, but that's fair" Zhalia continued, lifting her head a little - her hands moved down over his black shirt. "Still, we're not past first base _just_ yet" she finished, with a touch of her familiar snark, fingers grasping the bottom edges.

Dante didn't answer, but she's not wrong- he would admit to being _slightly_ nervous about all this, even though he did want it to happen.

So when she began tugging at his shirt, he simply lifted his arms.

At a gentle rate, Zhalia pulled his shirt off- after that, her motions were slower, carefully placing his shirt down and not looking at him yet. Feeling his lip curve, Dante glanced away toward the window, seeing the nightly contours of the Spanish city streets and admiring them... he kept it up for awhile, for as long as Zhalia needed to get through the first reactions. Across from him, she had several reactions to this, mainly about the fact that he's looking away so she could react with few(er) inhibitions; clearly she's _not_ surprised, or minded the gesture, but she did let out a silent breath. After a few seconds, one hand moved forward- when her fingers brushed over his bare chest, he did move slightly, but otherwise didn't react (yet).

Time went on, her fingers tracing over his muscles bit-by-bit, with her other hand eventually joining in. Then, Zhalia surprised him: she moved around his other side, sitting behind him even as her fingers continued making trails - this compelled him to look away from the window, but not look at her just yet.

But if this is 'payback', it's not the worst kind to deal with.

"Anything you'd like me to do, Zhalia?" Dante asked, gentle.

He distinctly felt her breath tickle the back of his neck, probably on purpose. "Stay like this for now, Dante" she whispered, simply sincere. "Let's both get used to this mood for a few more minutes."

"Gotcha."

For awhile, Dante felt her breath near his neck or his shoulders, which helped him gauge her demeanor. Zhalia sounded steady, not struggling at all, which made him smile: she's come a long way... even with the unexpected surge of nervousness at relationship intimacy before, she's adapting well.

After a time, Zhalia seemed to stand up behind him, though he still didn't turn his head.

"So, Dante... what do you think is next?"

He raised an eyebrow, but closed his eyes as he considered the question. "Honestly, I'm not sure" Dante admitted, slightly mild. "You 'sneaking' into my room was surprising in-of-itself, Zhalia. And since you weren't sure exactly how far things would go yourself, I'm simply playing it by ear- it's a safe answer, but a legit one."

A chuckle, as well as a very-slight rustle that made him curious. "Safe is right, Dante" Zhalia said, affectionately snarky- that made him smile again, liking the sound of it. "Though, it's kinda cliche."

"Actually, cliche would be me saying 'I'll do whatever you're cool with doing'" he pointed out, if softly. "Which admittedly Zhalia, I would be to a certain degree."

"Well, at least you admit it."

They both chuckled, then there was another content silence, before he found her hands moving onto his shoulders- actually, even more than that. Zhalia gently touched her chin to his left shoulder, enough for him to register the change for a few seconds, before she fully rested her head there, arms moving to an around-his-shoulders position. He glanced toward Zhalia slightly, noting her cheeks were normal and her breathing steady - as well as strands of dark-blue hair hanging over his chest - but thus far her gaze was still 'ahead'. And for some reason, she seemed content to lean forward like this, without getting on the bed and/or lightly pressing her body to his back.

Or maybe she's still warming up to that stuff.

"Does this mean I can turn around now?" Dante asked, slightly teasing and legitimately curious-

-which she clearly understood. "Soon" she whispered, slowly glancing at him. "But not just yet."

"Are you nervous?"

Zhalia barely hesitated, though her eyes shifted away for a split-second. "Yeah."

Before he could ask why, or even decide if he _should_ ask, Zhalia began to move again: keeping her current 'arrangement' of holding onto him, she then got onto the bed behind him. Next she moved forward just short of meeting his back, though he noted her knees shifting on either side of him... then she lightly pressed herself against his back.

The moment this registered, Dante instinctively jolted, heart racing a little-

-because the sensations weren't those of her clothes: it was mostly skin, and the only fabrics he felt covered her intimate areas.

About a full minute passed by, though it felt longer- his thoughts were racing as he felt the sensations, including those he deliberately tried not to think about too much. He didn't look at Zhalia, but from what little he could tell, she wasn't looking at him either... though her hands/arms were still moving, keeping herself lightly-pressed against his back.

The entire time, he could feel a fast-but-steady thumping against his shoulder.

Eventually Zhalia broke the silence:

"...if it helps, right now, I'm relieved that I'm okay" she whispered, with some effort before it started to ease. "I'm a bit nervous, but I don't feel like shaking. Though, maybe that's just the initial reaction..."

Dante stirred a bit. "Perhaps" he slowly breathed, feeling it when her head shifted. "But Zhalia?"

"...?"

He turned his head a little, enough to see her; he had a little smile as his demeanor began to un-tense. "You really are full of surprises" he said with completely sincerity, physically feeling her 'jolt'. "When you asked me what I thought was next earlier, it was a cover for you doing this. Clever."

...

Zhalia couldn't help but think that even now, he's still like that- Dante would always be sincere and put a calm spin on things. Even his earlier reaction, where he'd been (somewhat) tense and registering her body against his back, didn't stop this... maybe she would've felt envious before, but she couldn't help but admire that composure too.

And underneath that, she tried to enjoy the simple sensations of this situation, to experience it all...

"It would've ruined the surprise, if I hadn't" she managed to say, a bit easier now.

At first Dante's reaction didn't change, until he became more intent. "That aside, this is your move, Zhalia" he breathed. "I can guess what might be next, and that you'll handle it - as will I - but I'm asking how long you think that might be."

On one hand, Zhalia thought "Figures" about the half-playful turnaround, but on the other, she's grateful for it as well; it helped her stay focused. After a moment, she moved one hand up his chest, and brushed it over his cheek... even as his lip curved, she quietly took a moment to marvel at her own lack of nervousness.

At least, for now.

"Well, I would assume second base" she replied in answer, lip curved as well. "Maybe some portion of third base. If we don't stop midway, of course."

A few seconds passed, then Dante let out a breath. "Well, it's good to have an idea, Zhalia" he admitted, eyes closing. "After all, I- I wouldn't want to go through everything blind. I hope the same is true for you."

Zhalia slowly kissed his cheek, lingering for a second. "You say hope, but you know already" she whispered, more affectionate. "Still, for right now, no digging underneath what we're still wearing."

"Understood."

Thanks to that, her body eased more and began getting with the program, settling with her actions- just as she believed would happen.

Now, to take advantage of it...

Dante began turning around, and gently brushing his lips against hers, which she didn't resist- eyes half-closing, she moved her hands up-and-down his arms. He welcomed it, particularly when her fingertips crept back onto his chest a minute later, rubbing in little circles, yet his affections were focused almost entirely on her lips.

Gently, his mouth opened up more; Zhalia felt a small thrill that was new.

Returning the favor, she gingerly touched her tongue to his lip- after a slight jolt, his tongue peeked out too, the tips meeting each other. The thrill continued as they took their time, soft and gentle, occasionally breaking apart to catch their breath but never remaining that way for long... that might've had something to do with them not being very experienced, all things considered.

But, at least they weren't completely awkward anymore.

"Dante?"

"Yeah?"

Zhalia caught her breath again before settling against Dante's chest, resting her head upon his shoulder, even as one hand lightly toyed with the tips of her hair. "There's- there's something I'd like you to do, while I'm like this" she whispered, rubbing along his back. "Unless you'd rather wait, of course."

Dante gently touched a kiss to her neck- she briefly stifled a sound, as that felt better than expected.

"What is it, Zhalia?"

"Perhaps you could... start at my feet, and work your way up."

His fingers paused, and she distinctly felt him shift in surprise, but other than that he merely took a moment, gently pulling them apart to look at her. Normally, looking at him this close/deeply made it difficult to hold his gaze, given his perchance for trying to make her melt, but now she had few such difficulties.

Dante wasn't smiling, but his eyes/voice said everything. "My, Zhalia" he breathed. "That almost sounds like an invitation."

Zhalia definitely felt a flush somewhere, despite her best efforts; it's not bad, but she's not gonna let it keep happening like before. "That better not be a submissive/dominance joke" she managed to say, sincere. "Unless... you're into that stuff."

An eyebrow rose, but his lip quirked. "I should think not. Though I've never tried it before" he 'admitted', before pulling away - she adjusted in place, steeling herself. "Still, I think I'll stick to what you did mean. And I'll want to let this experience soak in, for both of us."

"I'd expect nothing less."

Soon enough, they were pretty settled: she sitting on the edge of his bed, while Dante was sitting on his knees in front of her, far enough away that she could stretch her legs without issue. Unlike before, where he'd kept his eyes on her face, now it was impossible not to see her whole body... to her pleasant surprise though, there was no big rush of nervousness, or modesty on her part (emphasis on 'big'; didn't mean there wasn't _some_ ). Unconsciously though, she figured that he'd seen her in form-fitting clothes well before now, including those desert tops and/or the wetsuits; he had to know her general figure from those. Whatever the case, while Dante did look at her underwear, he didn't stare and was still pretty calm about the whole matter, though she noticed him having to take in/let out a breath.

That helped, knowing that however calm Dante might seem, he's nervous (and inexperienced) too.

Dante's gaze finally moved to her feet, and then he gently lifted her right leg. "Nice to see you took off your shoes too" he noted, pretty gentle; one pair of fingers began to lightly rub, which gave her a number of reactions. "And I have to admit, I never thought about what I might do... when we got around to things like this."

Zhalia didn't answer; a little busy adjusting to the sensations.

Had to admit, she didn't think it'd feel this good for something so simple... but maybe that's why precisely it did...

"Well, either way, I'm liking the comfortable atmosphere. As comfortable as a first experience like this can be anyway."

Immediately after he finished, Dante kissed her sole without hesitation-

-and while she didn't audibly make a sound, she did hitch, the first time anyway.

* * *

The next half-hour truly was an intimate one.

Whether he was working on her feet, her legs, or later on/around her stomach and arms, or even just her back, Dante made sure he was thorough while trying not to overly linger. By-and-large, he remained limited to use of his fingers and the palms of his hands, along with the occasional batch of kisses - as he didn't want to go overboard - but it still affected them both. For the first few minutes, Zhalia had been a bit jumpy, hitching at a few reactions yet was fine, even as his efforts remained slow and/or tense(-ish). As time went on, that tapered off... and now, while their breath remained heavier, it was far more natural.

Even the fact that Zhalia was half-dressed became normal, or at least as much as possible. Part of him still felt tempted, but he's in control of himself- for now, that would do, even as he worked his way over to her neck then.

Dante gently moved his fingers over her jawline, on both sides, sharing an intent gaze between them- Zhalia's cheeks were still red, but of a lesser shade than earlier. Convinced that he's the same in some manner, his lip curved as he enjoyed the fact that (most of) their inhibitions had eased, thanks to this.

Then he moved down, and gently kissed her neck- Zhalia's little breath was that of pure like.

He had to admit, that gave him a very warm feeling, wanting to hear that again... but patience, Dante; you're not here to let things get out of hand. He closed his eyes and focused on repeating the kisses - even as his hands caressed her jawbone/cheeks - doing his level best to memorize her little breathes. She seemed to shake once, but he quickly determined that it's from how strongly she felt about his affections, and not difficulty- she supported this by gradually returning the favor, regarding the cheek caresses. As he kissed a trail upward, he felt more and more of her hot breath, and got tempted to kiss her full-on - but he's almost done.

Just as he started kissing her jawline itself though: "You're as effective as ever, Dante" she whispered.

Drawing back a little, Dante caught his breath. "I try my best, Zhalia" he whispered back, not without an effort. "Still, are you really okay with this? Me doing everything, such as it is, while you don't?"

Several moments passed, and he saw flickers in her expression... ultimately though, her lip curved.

"If I'm being completely honest, not entirely" Zhalia breathed, slowly leaning forward to kiss his forehead; Dante quite liked that. "That's why a- another time, I plan to do the same to you, to make up for that. But also, I- I'm doing far better than I expected, or even prepared myself for... and I want to savor that feeling."

Dante looked at her seriously in that moment, just breathing, before he smiled a little.

"As far as challenging yourself goes, I'd say this has gone really well."

Zhalia didn't deny it in the slightest; she just kept the lip curve, briefly glancing down at his chest. "But of course, it wasn't just about challenging myself" she whispered, sincere. "You know me. If I was to do this just for the challenge, rather than because I wanted to try-"

"-I'd probably have said no."

"Exactly. Plus, it was less cliche - and less embarrassing - if I got like this all at once, instead of... gradually, as is normal. Passing my own challenge with, well _almost_ flying colors, is a bonus."

Dante tried not to smile, and failed as he leaned closer. "Just because something's cliche, doesn't mean it isn't good too."

Zhalia slowly leaned in too, eyes half-closing. "I know" she breathed, before her tone took on a little, snarky tease. "You're living proof of that."

"Wow, hey now-"

Just then, Zhalia cut him off by kissing him- Dante quickly held her against his body, fast enough that it surprised her. Not deterred for long though, Zhalia's hands moved up into his hair, one cupping the back of his neck while the other seemed to be trying to mess up his hair a little... at this point, not a big deal. Gently, he began to do the same with her, moving one hand over the back of her head... she moved a little at the first few strokes, but settled into it afterward. Remembering when they'd first agreed to a 'secret' relationship, and how he'd briefly stroked her hair then too, Dante just enjoyed the feeling, believing that he wouldn't mind doing this for hours.

However, he'd best save that kind of affection for _after_ tonight's session.

Her tongue brushed again his lips - their mouths soon opened, faint sounds escaping from both of them as they did so. Zhalia's fingers brushed against his chest once, before her entire palm slid across it, followed by her other hand... he quickly enjoyed those sensations. However, he noticed how one hand lingered over his heart, almost settling in place there- during one moment where they caught their breath, Dante smiled to himself. Truly, he admired how well she's doing with this challenge; previous experience or not, this was quite the step up... and she's handling herself well.

Just as he knew she could do.

Holding her closer, Dante slipped his right hand over her side, gently sliding it to just underneath her arm-

-Zhalia did pause ever-so-slightly, but continued as normal, lips now working a trail over his neck.

That _definitely_ distracted him, for a moment... but afterward, Dante took a moment to enjoy it while bracing himself a little, determined to watch any/all signs from Zhalia.

Feeling his heart-rate go up, his hand moved sideways.

When he gently cupped her left breast, a small gasp escaped Zhalia's mouth, perhaps even despite her best efforts- her affections definitely paused. Nonetheless, while her breathing had gotten heavier, she hadn't tensed, froze, or otherwise gave any sign that she didn't want this (or that she was close to her limit)... that's what he'd thought her reaction would be, but had to be sure.

And privately, he was also focused upon the sensations...

After a few seconds: "Well" Zhalia breathed, still hovering near his neck. "It's about time."

He had a tiny little smirk, quite enjoying this. "Yes, it is" Dante whispered, even as his other hand came up, joining in on the fun; she moved at that. "But shouldn't that have been my line, Zhalia?"

"Perhaps. Then again, I suppose you're rubbing off on me."

"It's also been working both ways."

Slowly, Zhalia lifted her head until they were face-to-face, her lip curving despite the small redness- there was also a small hitch in her voice, but she strove to ignore it. "But of course" she whispered back with a little snark. "You think I didn't notice?"

His only answer was to kiss her.

While Zhalia didn't reply with words, he distinctly felt her hands trail down his chest and tease the lower portions of his stomach, even as she returned the kiss. After several seconds, she even toyed with his waistband, purely teasing about it; he didn't notice much... until she deliberately brushed her palm across his groin. Considering where his hands were, it wasn't surprising, and he only felt a small, approving warmth even as his body reacted to her touch, breathing getting heavier included. As 'payback', he gave Zhalia's chest a few light squeezes, which led her to make several almost-gasps (just barely stifled), before he had one hand slide down her torso.

She definitely moved when he brushed over her groin, just like him, but didn't protest.

As they explored the curves, the _sensations_ of each other's more sensitive areas (clothed as they still were), their passions subtly grew. Of course, they did explore other places as well: Dante did briefly brush over her belly button, and mischievously poked the tip of his finger 'inside' for a fraction of a second - the way she hitched was enjoyable, even with the small look she'd given him. And in return, Zhalia's breath was hot on his neck for several seconds, before she began to nibble around his neck (not unlike how he'd done so earlier). Figuring it was only fair, he'd gone with that even as he lightly stroked her hair with his fingers... still, that little thing she did with her tongue over his ear had really surprised him.

Heh, but she'd gotten a kick out of it, and his reaction...

...

If she were focused on thinking right now, Zhalia would be amazed at how well she's doing. It was one thing to _plan_ to no longer be bound by her nervousness, but it was another to not have it show up _at all_ thus far, after the initial settling period where she was 'pushing' herself...

But, Zhalia definitely didn't mind her own performance; quite the contrary.

Without thinking, she let out a little gasp as Dante kissed a trail over her neck now - totally 'returning the favor' for earlier - helped by the moderate pressure on both her chest and her core. He wasn't unaffected himself though; she could hear his heavy breathing, and Dante made numerous almost-groan sounds in the process (thanks to her own hands 'working' his groin), trying-and-failing to keep them stifled. It'd taken awhile, but her exploration had even made Dante get aroused, if perhaps not to throbbing-hard levels, not yet. She wasn't too far from that state either, as her nipples had hardened, and she's beginning to feel distinctly warm down there... much more of this, and she could begin to fear for the state of her underwear.

Though, she still had no intentions of going _that_ far... at least for the moment...

She drew Dante back into another kiss, pushing with enough force that he had to lean backward more and more, till his back finally hit the bed.

Nothing changed with their affections, yet it still made things feel a little more intense.

"Oh yeah" Dante breathed under her, catching his breath. "This really feels great."

Zhalia worked his collarbone for two more seconds, feeling his legs shift, and thus harmlessly 'grind' himself against her- heh, what a tease. "Probably because we're so on-again, off-again, that our bodies crave these rare times" she snarked, before chuckling once. "Well, in actual affections. Not our relationship."

He lifted his head a bit, briefly smirking. "We're a bit more active that _that_ , Zhalia."

Her only answer was a small, playful smile.

Nonetheless, Dante's hands began moving down her back in a slow, purposeful manner, so much so that she thought he was about to go for her ass- was wondering when he'd start. Because of this though, she missed the sensation that affected her shoulder blades, and so when Dante's hands stopped entirely, she was left confused... particularly when she saw his expression.

"...What?"

There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other, but Dante didn't need to speak-

-as her shoulders shook once more, as if she were cold... but she definitely wasn't cold.

Zhalia slowly looked at her right shoulder, feeling mixed emotions interfere with the more passionate ones- so, her curiously-gone nervousness is beginning to catch up to her all-at-once, or something of that ilk. If there was _any_ possibility of them doing, despite what Dante said, that's gone now... especially because she knew what Dante would say, about pushing herself through it.

As if on cue, one hand moved up, gently cupping her cheek; she leaned against it, slowly looking at Dante.

His expression was tinged a bit red, and intent, but his smile was soft. "Zhalia" he breathed, a little low. "If there's any last-minute suggestions, barring that of... of sex, now's the best time."

Words couldn't express the warmth- no, t-the love she felt for him in that moment.

He _really_ needed to stop trying to make her melt though... heh, even if that is an exaggeration.

"Well..."

Thinking quickly, Zhalia moved off Dante's body but remained close, allowing him to sit up and hold his knee close to his chest. He waited patiently, his hand-on-her-cheek lightly tracing over her skin - that helped, though at the same time her nervousness was still building; this wouldn't hold it back for long.

She felt her lip twitch, before she committed to her answer.

"Here's one idea, Dante" Zhalia admitted, low-key determined to use her nerve/uninhibited state while she still had them (or rather, wasn't having difficulty); he tilted his head, listening. "We- first we take a moment to come down from 'on high' here, so to speak. Then we both... get naked, but only do the really small stuff at first. Stay like that for- for a minute or two, to settle into things, then see whether there's... room for anything else, or not."

Dante shifted, not just at what she said, but from hearing the effort in her voice-

-heh, yeah... it'd sounded better in her head, but then again so did everything.

After a few seconds: "That would also take the edge off everything, making us more confident next time" he whispered, lip curving - however, there was a noticeable undertone in his voice, and his demeanor was 'off'. "Well, _more_ confident."

Returning the lip curve, Zhalia took in a deep breath. "Of course" she said, before her shoulder blades shook slightly, again. "And I'd rather we do this quickly, before it gets bad. And we both keep our eyes closed until I say."

"Understood."

With that, Dante leaned back on his hands a bit, eyes closed and focusing on breathing- she watched for a moment, just appreciating a lot of things. Then Zhalia closed her eyes and reached behind her back, making sure to stay focused the entire time; no matter what, she's not gonna falter.

She's spent (what seemed like) an hour like _this_ in front of Dante; she can handle a few minutes of baring it all.

They're- they're not gonna do much, not that they haven't already done... it's okay.

In almost-silence, she took off both pieces of her underwear even as she heard Dante pull off his pants (and more), with a fair bit of adjustment on his bed, and one time their arms accidentally hit each other. Still, it wasn't long before she finished and was left sitting there, trying to keep her arms still... when Dante stopped moving after a minute, with no sounds other than breathing, she steeled herself.

"...Dante?" she asked quietly.

His voice was just as quiet. "Ready, Zhalia."

"Then, let's do this."

 **(current progress)**

Half-opening her eyes, she saw Dante: sitting back upon his hands, one leg held up almost to his chest, and his breathing remaining measured. Beyond that, the first thing she saw was his slightly-red cheeks, and then his eyes half-opened as well, immediately focusing upon her - together, they fully opened their eyes, sharing an intimate(-in-all-senses) look between them. Zhalia was first to let her gaze wander, settling on his legs first, thinking that it's been awhile since she's seen him wear a wetsuit, and gotten a good view of his legs. Just like the rest of him, Dante's legs were toned from his line-of-work, with barely a hair to be seen... hmm, she wondered if that was natural for him, or if he shaved at all.

Mmh. For all they knew about each other, little stuff like that has eluded them thus far.

A little afterward, it was Dante's turn to tilt his head down... though she felt a distinct _flush_ , part of her also felt relieved deep down, simply because her arms weren't instinctively covering up. That being said, Zhalia couldn't suppress a little shiver, not just for obvious reasons but because of Dante's reactions: she'd expected him to outwardly suppress them, for her sake and to keep his composure-

-but the way his eyes had widened _before_ that, said everything.

And it'd given her a thrill, in numerous ways.

'Forcibly' trying not to focus on that right now, Zhalia shifted her gaze, moving from Dante's legs to- well to 'a little higher', which she knew he hadn't failed to miss. Her body's warm reaction increased, but that was just the nervousness; otherwise, her reaction was far more curious than anything, being able to admire the real thing.

He may no longer be hard, yet still... and as a bonus, because of her curiosity, she 'forgot' about Dante looking over her body.

After awhile:

"Well" Zhalia breathed, stirring herself out of it. "About what I'd expected. But certainly still interesting."

"...Mmh, your snark is appreciated" Dante teased with a small-yet-obvious effort, before he shifted. As he did so, his gaze did flicker between her and her body... which in a way, pleased her; Dante is human after all, hehe. "Still, you've got it easier Zhalia... feeling the way I did minutes ago, and- and blessed with this sight, while trying not to show my arousal? That's harder than it looks."

Hearing that, her next words came without any conscious effort- later she'd be surprised at her own reaction (if also approving).

"So, it's one of those rare times where _I_ have the advantage over you, Dante" she breathed, with a rather-sultry smirk.

To say he was surprised was almost understating it; Dante jolted, seeming frozen for a few seconds (except for his eyes).

"This is my last burst, before I give in" Zhalia told him, slowly making her way over, working by instinct- her body shook once halfway through. "So let's- let's make it _interesting_ Dante. Either my nervousness catches up to me, or you lose 'control' and get semi-hard again... whichever comes first, and we end things for good. So let's see which it might be."

Most of that, she whispered into his ear, still quite sultry... she must be pushing the bounds of his self-control.

And that thought did nothing but please her right now; it was pretty thrilling, even with the upcoming nervousness.

"I'll... I'll get you for that, Zhalia" Dante slowly drew out, but his lips were curving toward a small grin, and he had a glint in his eyes. "One day."

Zhalia just kissed him, hard.

Caught up in the 'heat' of the moment, she didn't pay attention to how long they were at this- it could've been thirty seconds, or several minutes, but she didn't care. Her hands didn't hesitate in roaming over his chest, and after a little, his hands truly cupped her ass this time (oh _yes_ ), but by unspoken consent neither of them worked to touch anything more intimate. Zhalia briefly caught her breath at one point, but soon trailed her tongue over Dante's lip, which made him groan a little- or that might've been because of her little pinches. Either way, he pulled her closer against his lower body, enough that she felt his groin against her... well, not her _stomach_ , but that space between it and her core.

That wasn't helping, but she had to do something about it.

Zhalia stifled a gasp, as his hands were really finding a rhythm on her ass, but in retaliation she shoved her tongue into his mouth. His groan was music to her ears, even when another small shudder went through her shoulders- she felt it when he paused slightly, having enough sense of mind to pay special attention there.

Not that she was 'overcome', not right this second anyway; she lightly flicked his nipples with her fingers, smirking as she did so.

"Ah- not... fair" Dante breathed to her, heavier and slow, but with a tinge of playfulness. "Zhalia."

"Neither is this fair."

It took (probably) all of his composure _not_ to react badly, when her hand brushed over his groin... she was loving the effect she had upon him. In fact, his cock had been stimulated by her bold move, enough that once she noticed, it felt like she was holding a warm, slightly-twitching 'soft rock'; he was still building toward a full hard-on.

Something clicked in her brain then, and her state just suddenly ended- when she realized this (among other things), it took an effort not to look down.

At the same time, Dante stilled a bit as he realized the situation, briefly glancing down- still catching his breath, after a few seconds, he gently-yet-firmly grasped her hand. The moment she was made to let go of him 'down there', the full realization of what just happened, their shared state, and her still-building nervousness began to truly sink in...

"...Dante, let's stop."

Even as the words left her mouth, with an effort and no particular tone, Dante didn't say anything as she quickly stepped off the bed. Even when gathering her clothes, and tossing his own backward, Zhalia couldn't bring herself to look at him yet... and not just because her heart was beating really fast.

She could feel Dante's gaze on her back for a little, but after that it was gone; they got dressed in almost-silence.

Afterward, Zhalia didn't move off the floor, before there was a little creaking as Dante stood up - soon he sat on the floor beside her, at a respectable distance, gaze forward.

"...well, you won" Zhalia got out, with more effort than she would've liked. "Though I uh, cheated."

In her peripheral vision, Dante glanced at her briefly. "It's not an issue, Zhalia" he said, quiet and slower, yet sincere. "Are you having difficulty?"

She knew he meant 'in comparison to previous times' with that line.

"...some. But my face isn't burning" Zhalia slowly admitted, feeling just to make sure (nope). "That's strange... but I'm not complaining. It's progress."

"Heh. I think that's an understatement."

"Mmh. So, guess I did pass with flying colors after all" Zhalia breathed, half to herself. "I held up well all-throughout. I did great. ...why don't I feel convinced of that?"

Slowly, gently, Dante's hand brushed against her shoulder for a moment- when she glanced off, he wasn't looking at her, out of respect for her conflict. "Give it time. You're still trying to adjust to what just happened; that was a big deal, for both of us. Heck, I'll probably have a double-take moment in the morning... for a lot of reasons."

"Yeah. And I know this will pass, but I still don't like it. It makes me feel... somewhat helpless."

Aside from breathing, there was silence between them for a little... then Dante shifted closer, sitting nearby. Slowly, his arm came around her shoulder, and she leaned against him without having to ask - even despite what happened, just his presence comforted her a lot.

"I know I'm not, Dante" she quietly added.

His breath was warm against her cheek. "Of course."

"And I 'hate' you for still being so calm."

"...heh. I know, Zhalia."

The simple affection in their voices finally got her to crack a smile, and she slowly lifted her gaze- Dante met it without any issues, though she could tell from his eyes that he still felt a lot inside. For a moment, images of what they'd done together flashed by in her mind, and finally the nervous warmth she felt inside crept into her face- Zhalia felt her lip twitch, but strove to ignore it for now. Slowly, with only a slight pause, Zhalia reached up with one hand and kissed him, cupping his cheek- the latter felt warm, in a very good way, even as he returned the favor with simple affections. That was all they needed - her nervousness didn't abate, but the comfort and support Dante gave helped keep it, for lack of a better word, contained.

Finally, they pulled away for air... and they just looked at each other...

"Well" she whispered. "At least I- I should be mostly okay, tomorrow. Business as usual... but I don't intend for this nervousness to linger."

Dante gave a little smile, showing he understood.

"I'll still keep an eye out, adjust as needed" he whispered, holding her a little closer. "But I have to say Zhalia, after an experience like that, I wouldn't mind more. You were really something... but next time should be handled properly."

Mmh... she slowly leaned closer, moving until her lips were next to his ear.

Her heart remained pounding, but it didn't stop her.

"I love you, Dante Vale."

Those simple-yet-important words had the strongest effect on her nervousness, but for the better- she'd known for the longest time that she did, but finally having said it felt good. Dante did stir slightly, as if he were a little surprised, but he was quick to pull her head back from his ear- she barely saw his look before he kissed her, softly and lovingly.

Mmm...

"I love you too, Zhalia Moon. I always have."

Oh yeah... that's what she liked to hear.

What happened after that was pretty hazy on the details, but the gist was clear: they said their goodnights - if not without an awkward moment where they realized they were glancing down each others' bodies, but managed to play off - and prepared themselves for bed in that room. Not a sound or a word did they make, even as she was first to get onto his bed, laying on her side, before Dante eased himself down directly behind her. His hand briefly brushed against her hair strands, before moving over her midsection and just settling against her body there- she appreciated the comforting touch. Even as they lay there, slowly drifting off to sleep, she felt her nervousness begin to 'settle' because of the warmth... would probably be back tomorrow in some (reduced) capacity, but for now, she didn't care one bit.

Because for all the trouble it's causing/has caused her, it felt great to have finally overcome it (mostly).

Clearing many of the 'first-time looks' was just a bonus... in more ways than one.

* * *

 **Phew, now that was something. I'm sorry I couldn't have them 'go on', even for the purpose of not resolving this development mid-narrative... even if it's yet-unreleased :P**

 **Speaking of which, am a little over 125k words at the moment now, and am partway into the 16th chapter while trying to write at least a little every day. Still, as previously stated, I imagine any next chapters for this fic won't be for awhile, least by comparison- I have the broad endgame in place, but the exact details are still in flux. Once I have a better idea of that, I'm sure any post-story intimacy will be an indicator that I'm really close to completion, assuming I don't see opportunities for more intimacy prior to that. But who knows?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Huntik: Secrets and Seekers, nor it's characters.

 **Rating:** M

 **Other notes**

* * *

 _Barcelona, Spain_

 _Barcelona City History Museum Headquarters_

 _Nighttime_

"You nervous about tomorrow, Sophie?" Lok whispered, lightly running his hand through her hair.

At first she didn't answer, curled against him in bed above the covers, enjoying the moment as much as he was - her fingers couldn't seem to decide how best to tease him. "Somewhat" she admitted, before looking at him; there was almost a gleam to her eyes. "But honestly, I can't wait to see the looks on their faces. With what I have to tell them, and show them... it's going to rock their worlds, just like ours were earlier. I'm certain it'll be the push my family needs for all members to support me, at least without wasting more time."

He certainly agreed, especially about the reveals that'd happened, but he's also subtly enjoying the pride and the excitement in her voice. He'd always thought she was pretty and smart, but those last two qualities always made her eyes light up with passion, and he didn't think he'd ever get tired of seeing that. It's also true that he (sometimes) might not follow when she's talking about history's finer details - assuming his eyes didn't glaze over entirely - but he did admire her knowledge, and the way she knew so much. He's definitely got the adventuring spirit down pat, but he could never hope to be much more than book-smart and quick-on-his-feet in action, even if he did excel at those.

Then Sophie shifted, and her voice gained a more mild, apologetic edge.

"Still, I wish I didn't have to go with Lucas in little more than an hour" she breathed, giving him a little kiss. "Just so we could sleep together like normal, instead of me having to do it on the plane."

Lok shook his head, lightly cupping her cheek. "I want that too, Sophie, but it's alright" he said, sincere. "The Council of Elders arranged that meeting bright and early, and so you have to be there bright and early. We don't have a lot of time to waste either."

Her lip curved into a little smirk, but she answered with a nose kiss.

"And besides, we still have that hour till you have to leave. Plus you've already packed, so it's not like you'll need to stop midway, especially with my phone's warning" he admitted, heart beating a bit faster. "So like I hinted before... maybe we should continue where we left off before."

Sophie wasn't surprised, and he soon found himself the bearer of her look: an almost-perfect combination of nervousness/anticipation, a knowing edge, and a little exasperation.

"Perhaps we should. But for the record, your ability to focus on other things even when the overall situation is serious... it astounds me" she said, with most of the above.

He just gave a little smile.

Seconds later, she did the same, her look softening even as her cheeks reddened slightly. "That being said, I- I have been wanting more experience myself. And I did enjoy myself that other night... even if I cut it short" Sophie admitted, her fingers moving over his shirt.

"A little _too_ short" Lok teased, briefly chuckling; her lip twitched. "I mean, I get why you did. But still."

"...I know. But at least we'll be far less likely to get caught up in the mood this time."

"Hehe, yeah."

Sophie leaned closer, leaning her forehead against his, before she let out a breath as her eyes closed. "As for what's allowed... how things were last time. Maybe slightly more, depending on how it goes" she whispered to him, briefly bringing a hand up to tease his hair.

He didn't mind either of those. "That was about my plan too" Lok breathed back, more gentle. "But uh, can I ask two things, Sophie?"

"Hmm?"

"This may be kinda expected, but this time could I actually get to... y-you know, take all your clothes off this time? T-The ones I'm allowed to, I mean?"

That caused her to hitch, and he could almost see her cheeks reddening, but she didn't pull away from him (or open her eyes).

"Oh... oh um, yes, of course Lok" she whispered, briefly clearing her throat. "It's only fair, since I've done the same with you. And, what's the other thing?"

Lok could feel his cheeks reddening as well - both from asking, and in anticipation of what's to come - but he made sure to move his hands over her back. Even though she hadn't mentioned so, he was pretty sure Sophie was growing to like just how he did that, whether it was just to hold her, to make her feel more content and safe, or whatever, he's glad to know she feels that way.

"Well uh, maybe this time" he admitted, a bit more slow; he glanced over toward her legs, which still had on her usual socks. "Could you, uh... keep your socks on?"

That definitely surprised her, enough that her eyes opened and she 'stared' at him, if also with a glance at her legs.

"...I could, but why Lok?"

Lok spent a moment, embarrassed despite himself. "Well uh... I admit there were times where I- I _imagined_ us in certain situations" he said, a little quicker by the end - both their cheeks turned redder, or it looked/felt a lot like it, but Sophie didn't look away from him. "And in some of them, you were wearing those while we uh, y-you know, did stuff. And I want to see if it might be... something I truly like."

After a moment, the surprise melted away, and her eyebrow rose in a suggestive manner.

"Well" Sophie whispered to him, knowingly playful as her lip curved. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to try. But in exchange for that, Lok, we'll try an arrangement of _my_ choosing next time."

Part of him thought that he might be in trouble now (the good kind), but he sheepishly nodded. "Okay. That's definitely fair; I just thought you might find it a little weird, so that's why I asked first."

Sophie didn't answer, unless you counted a slight eye-roll - she merely leaned in and kissed him, which he immediately returned. Soon after, Lok moved his hands over Sophie's stomach, rubbing in circles for a bit; though she didn't really react, she probably found that a bit odd, as her hand teasing his hair did briefly pause.

Still, it didn't stop her from briefly poking his lip with her tongue-

-hehe, but just she waits.

Boldly, Lok moved his hands up right onto her chest then, and Sophie full-on squeaked against his mouth; he was both surprised by that reaction, and immediately loving it. Oddly, she didn't pull back from him... instead, after a pause, Sophie practically shoved her tongue into his mouth, wrapping around his own tongue with increasing vigor.

Oh yeah, she's looking for payback... and he's gonna enjoy that.

...

Just like last time, the anticipation of what they're about to do was _thrilling_ \- but this time, the nervousness was no longer overpowering, and she's glad for it.

Lok definitely seemed to be in a mood tonight though, as while he's probably still a bit nervous (like her), he's definitely settling into a more bold approach. Letting off little gasps, Sophie immediately found herself liking it even as she fought to return it... there was also a thought that she must've cut last time _way_ too short if he's acting like this, though she didn't get far with it.

Either way, she planned to do a lot better tonight.

Just as Lok was boldly feeling up her chest, with her really enjoying those sensations (even like this), Sophie made sure to aggressively try and dominate his tongue with hers. She had it go on for almost a full minute before she had to pull back, both of them having to catch their breath, but she was quicker to recover: she dug her hands into his shirt, and began pulling up. While he did briefly 'struggle' against that, he had no choice but to remove his hands from her chest, just so she could get it up his arms and over his head- she made sure to toss it without looking. When they shared a look, Sophie just made sure to smile 'innocently' before she moved her fingers... a little gasp escaped Lok's lips as she worked that 'special spot' on his chest.

Or at least one of them; it's still a recent find.

"Who knew you could be so easily turned on, Lok? Just from this" she breathed, a little drawn-out. Saying that out loud gave her a small thrill of pleasure, helping counter the nervousness - if only she'd thought to do this sooner, but what's done is done.

Lok made a little sound, but though sheepish in expression, he returned the smile.

"I know what you're doing Sophie, but wow" Lok breathed back. "I think I like this better than when you were super nervous."

"Same here" Sophie admitted, before she took on a playful edge: "So I should always be aggressive in the future?"

"Heh. No, not _always_... just a bunch of the time" he admitted, also playful yet with a softer edge. "Still, while I know you're not gonna be nervous forever, I think I'll kinda miss that too. It wasn't often that I saw you like that, but I did like it, because it was another side of you."

Touched, she made sure to lean down and kiss him; Lok didn't mind at all, even as his hands started going underneath her shirt.

"You know, I could always act nervous for you, Lok" Sophie whispered to him.

"Yeah" he whispered back. "I'd probably like that sometimes, Sophie. But it still wouldn't be the same."

By the end, Lok had gotten her shirt halfway up, and his motions were rather teasing as he 'paused' midway through- though nervous, Sophie (slightly) rolled her eyes and lifted her arms. After that, he wasted no time in taking off her shirt, and she feel a bit of an urge to shiver, but for the most part it didn't happen; this made her feel relieved. Lok focused for a little, letting her shirt drop off the side of the bed before he looked back- then he paused, cheeks reddening as he took his sweet time looking. This time, her bra wasn't at all sheer, and was also simpler in design with fewer details - it was easy to mistake it's color as a light-brown, but in fact it was rosy brown, not unlike her usual style.

In that time, Sophie focused on making sure she didn't cover herself up, at least not for long-

-after all, Lok was clearly enjoying the view.

His gaze briefly dipped down toward her waist, before Lok then looked at her.

"...Are you always matching?"

To that, she gave him a little look, if with a smirk. "Not _always_ , but often" Sophie admitted, low. "...Do you have a preference, Lok?"

Lok shivered in surprise, but then he chuckled a little and smirked back. "I don't know Sophie, but I'd _reall_ y like to find out" he whispered back, which only added to her mood (even when his fingers started hooking into her skirt). "Although, thus far... I definitely prefer what you wore last time. Not that this isn't great too."

"Noted."

Much like with her shirt, he took her skirt off with little hesitation, but this time she was far more prepared. In fact, after Lok had finished/dropped her skirt to the floor, she moved over him and hooked her fingers into his pants.

Needless to say, he was a little surprised: "Woah uh, Sophie?" Lok breathed, blinking once.

She gave a slight sound. "Don't get the wrong idea, Lok; you're still to keep it in your pants" she said with a little effort, "Or boxers, I suppose. But this should make things more even between us."

Other than a slight sound, clearly agreeing, Lok didn't answer as she began to tug his pants down. From the get-go, his boxers were a nice blue color, but Sophie also thought that he's starting to 'bulge' already... then again, his gaze was focused on her panties - which were matching, like he'd asked - so it's probably no wonder.

It did made her heart-rate go up too, mostly in anticipation, but she worked not to let it slow her down.

Once she finished, Lok was quick to lean up and draw her into a hug, touching little kisses to her neck; Sophie liked that of course, holding him back. It wasn't long before his hands wandered over her back, particularly over her back strap... soon he began to focus on the middle bit...

"Not yet, Lok."

He paused, then pulled back to look at her, curious.

Sophie smirked a little, if with warm cheeks. "Well as you said, last time was a little too short for your tastes" she whispered, making sure to caress his cheek. "So why don't we take our time right now?"

His cheeks reddened, but his look turned a bit playful and challenging-

-and boy did she love that look.

With barely a pause, they kissed each other again, and she was quick to add her tongue; rather than surprise, Lok just returned the favor. His hands moved up from her back and into her hair then, one holding onto the back of her head to help 'control' their kiss better, and the other thoroughly entwining itself in her hair.

Oh _yes_...

* * *

Their passion went on for _awhile_ , in all senses...

If it weren't for his phone being programmed to warn them 15 mins before Sophie had to leave, he would've been tempted to say it went on for _hours_. That's how it felt to him: a medley of kisses - normal and tongue - their hands wandering all over each other's bodies, with a lot of that above the waist yet some was below, if more careful about the latter.

At one point, Sophie continued to lick at his chest, and Lok was _really_ all for that; it felt so good, especially the more she learned about his reactions. He had to struggle a bit to keep his head, but it helped when his hands slipped down her back, tracing over her spine... eventually he got right onto her tailbone and her panties, the sensations of which definitely distracted her (for a few moments). He liked that reaction, but at the same time, he couldn't get enough of the sensations underneath his fingers, kinda just like looking at them. A deeper instinct also wanted to feel her w-without them on... but he shook his head, and instead focused on cupping her ass.

At that, Sophie definitely gasped, with a little kinda-moan following - when he looked at her, she was half-trying to cover her mouth.

He didn't know whether that's because she's embarrassed, or trying to deny that reaction for him (or both), but Lok still smiled; it's okay. Sophie caught his look after a moment, then seemed to realize where her hand was, as she quickly put it down - though her cheeks remained red, she started to 'push' her ass against his hands a little, leaving both of them to make a sound, before he pulled her into another kiss.

Judging from the way she moved against him, it was appreciated.

Some minutes later, just as Sophie pulled away, his hands were on her back - a second after he began doing the same, Lok moved his fingers onto her back strap. Sophie definitely shifted as she felt this, and he quickly glanced up... her eyes were half-open at the moment, still catching her breath, but when she looked at him it was with a slow nod.

Still a little nervous, but otherwise determined (and far more passionate than earlier).

With that answered, Lok started to undo the thing, moving quick but not 'too fast'. Remembering how the trick went, he managed to get that subtle click within a few seconds; not quite effortless, but certainly a step up. To his surprise though, even as this happened Sophie began to adjust where she sat; rather than sitting near the top of his legs, she moved 'up' his body more, and then carefully arranged herself to sit upon h-his groin- he had to struggle not to groan. When he looked up, she glanced at him, having a smile and a little gleam in her eyes... she moved against his groin every few seconds, quick yet hard enough to put pressure there.

Only a brief shaking of her body, and the redness on her cheeks, gave it away.

Even with the sensations, and how hot he felt, Lok gave a little smile to show that he understood. While one hand held onto her straps, the other came up and brushed against her cheek, slightly surprising her - he leaned up and kissed her, then they shared a look, and he gave a little nod.

'You're doing great, Sophie'.

For that, Sophie kissed him in return, before teasingly pushing him back down to where he was... sheepish but willing, he let her do that. Afterward, his hand went back up to her back alongside the other, just holding onto her bra's straps - at the same time, one hand moved down to his chest and circled his pecs, while the other (to his surprise) slipped down between her legs a-and rubbed at his groin, even as she sat there.

 _"Okay, she's not gonna make this easy"_ he managed to think, if affectionately exasperated.

Simultaneously stifling groans at her work, and thinking that that feels _really good_ , he focused on pulling her bra off- Sophie did hitch once, but otherwise didn't move as he worked. Without even realizing it, Lok kept his gaze on her chest the whole time, just taking in every second of this... his hand still worked as intended, pulling the straps down her arms relatively quick, but it seemed slower than he's actually doing.

As they fell down, he felt even warmer... and when her breasts were revealed, he still spent a second or two staring. Even though he'd seen them before, the mere sight was just- really hot to him; they seemed like the perfect 'modest' size, even if that's a little biased hehe, and already he recalled the _sensations_ from last time.

At some point, Sophie's free arm came up, moving to rest just underneath her breasts-

-this sight stirred him out of it, and he looked up; her expression still showed that shy-nervousness, and was a bit darker-red, but now had a knowingly-'annoyed' raised eyebrow.

Ehehe...

Despite his face feeling pretty hot, Lok didn't look away from her, and just gave a small slightly-sheepish smile- after two seconds, her lip curved in return and a glint appeared in her eyes.

"So" Sophie ventured, tone low. "You like what you see, Lok."

A slight shiver ran through him- he's convinced that as 'payback' for his little moment, she's gonna plan something for him tonight. Or at least imply that she will, so that he'd be 'on edge' the whole time, to keep him on his toes - he's not sure which is more likely.

"...Isn't that obvious, Sophie?"

Her little lip curve became a full-on smirk. "No."

Lok let out a breath, shaking his head before he smirked back.

"Oh yes, I like this a lot" he breathed, putting a little intensity into his voice - it was harder to do because she's still grinding against him, but he managed. "Not just your body, but that look you're giving me. They're both really, really great."

"Go on."

"And what I'm seeing right now... is to die for."

Sophie opened her mouth-

-then she gasped/her head tilted backward, as suddenly his hands had gone right up to her chest, and immediately started 'tweaking' her nipples a bit. Even as he enjoyed those sensations/that reaction, Lok briefly smirked a bit, not just at appealing to her pride but also how this made her miss his hands... he's sure that later, it'll be harder to pull that off, but he'll figure it as he goes along.

Soon enough she tilted her head back, giving him a _look_ \- he'd barely started to react before she leaned forward, kissing him hard.

So hard in fact, that it pushed him flat onto the bed while she hovered over him, hair tickling his chest as she moved... and despite any hesitation on her part, she was more aggressive about rubbing against his groin...

That definitely made him groan, but he fought to kiss her back, to hold her, the whole nine yards.

...

If their earlier passion had taken care of (most of) her nervousness, this stretch had definitely suppressed it, leaving her free to enjoy everything.

At the moment, Lok had managed to flip them, leaving her 'pinned' by his body weight, helped by his hands holding her arms down. Although she could easily break free, she went along with it - as much as she enjoyed taking the lead (nervousness aside), when Lok did it, her whole body felt a different kind of thrill as he did his best to really find her sweet spots. Not to mention that last time, because of what happened, Lok had to stay sitting or laying on his back while she was on top... so she didn't mind in the slightest that their positions are reversed.

Sophie gasped, as Lok had suddenly touched his tongue to her neck, and then just as suddenly slipped it up to lick underneath her ear! Even as he continued to work - licking the shell of her ear, briefly poking at other parts, then going back down to her neck (along with her jawline) - she was left to process the the thrill of that sensation; part of it may be the surprise, but she thinks that she really liked that, and that he should do it more often!

That plus the faster trail he's leaving over her neck - slow is definitely good too, but this is what she prefers.

After about thirty more seconds of that, Lok briefly caught his breath, then started to move more 'down' her body- in the process, he let go of her arms, leading her to lift her head up a little. He looked at her then, before one hand grasped her left breast while his head moved toward her right one... even as she reacted to the sensations, still looking at her the whole time, Lok began to lick at her nipple (while his hand squeezed).

At first, she instinctively struggled to suppress her moans at these sensations, that _look_ of his... but after a bit of effort, she managed to let go of that impulse.

It's perfectly alright, and no different from how Lok's various sounds made her feel pleased.

Even as she went through that 'struggle', Lok's other hand moved down her stomach, and then slipped onto her right leg's inner thigh- she hitched, surprised. Though his fingers definitely brushed against the skin there, his hand soon moved downward and began to cup her thigh - literally only an inch away from that leg's sock - as if trying to explore the feel of her muscles there.

Feeling that at the same time as the intimate sensations was an intriguing, and _very_ good situation.

Breathing heavier, Sophie gave off a smirk and slipped one hand to his chest, in particular down to that sweet spot she'd discovered. The angle was a little awkward, but it was worth it when Lok gasped, briefly shaking from the unexpected sensations... then if that weren't enough, her other hand went onto the back of his head and teasingly began to 'pull' him up toward her. While his hands were still free to feel her up, Lok let out a breath and went along with this, meeting her kiss quite hard, including when she used her tongue... though whenever they caught their breath, she would sneak in touches on his jawline, among other places. In return, even though he'd usually cup her breasts (and/or thigh down there), at times he would suddenly grip her more firmly, or even tweak her nipples, all getting her to gasp and- and even moan.

This experience had been good the first time, but now seemed to be even moreso... she was even starting to lose herself in their kisses, the sensations...

And while she still tried not to give into them entirely, she had to admit, she's definitely tempted to do so right now.

Suddenly, Lok's knee pressed right between her legs- Sophie couldn't help the little moan that resulted from that, even as she briefly stalled from shock. Luckily, other than the pressure being applied, he didn't really change what he was doing... still, as payback, she moved one hand down and squeezed his groin in return, really making him buck at the act.

And she was enjoying every second of it.

However, Lok had his own means of payback: after a few seconds, both hands left her body and moved onto her cheeks, even as he moved 'up' toward her. Barely did she look at him before he suddenly kissed her hard, and she _meant_ hard, because he was putting a lot of force into it... she'd nearly squeaked at first, but certainly did afterward, forced to abandon her own touches just to hold onto his head, caught between returning it and realizing she'd forgotten to take in a breath earlier, which really made this whole thing stimulating!

But still, she kept it up for as long as she could! It was all so good!

Finally though, she pulled away from Lok, practically heaving air in at first... Lok wasn't quite as winded as she was, but his breathing remained pretty heavy. Moreover, while catching his breath, Lok slowly lowered himself until he was resting practically on/beside her - even in her state, she managed a little (open-mouthed) smile and held the back of his head, resting it against her's. It didn't escape her notice that his groin - still 'hard' - was also pressed into the skin below her stomach, but for the most part, she really didn't mind anymore. And besides, what she was most focused on was the hot, almost steamy feeling of Lok's skin pressed against hers, and she could only imagine he was feeling the same way deep down.

Oh yes, she was loving this feeling... and not just because she literally felt hot.

Eventually:

"*pant* *pant* Oh... Lok, that was..." Sophie whispered.

He stirred, slowly moving his head, but not quite lifting it yet.

Even without trying, she had a small, warm smirk on her face. "From not wanting to get caught in the mood, to being tempted to ignore that entirely" she breathed to him, knowing. "Your experience is a _dangerous_ thing, Lok."

Not long after she finished, Lok began to shake a little, and she heard the barest hint of a snicker.

"Sophie, let's not get crazy" he breathed back, trying to sound mild, but mostly just going with it.

"Why not? You've appealed to my pride several times now" Sophie whispered, almost in his ear, which made him stir. "What's wrong with me appealing to your ego?"

He was definitely shaking more, but his hands were steady as one lightly threaded through her hair, while the other gently brushed against her breasts. At this stage, still basking in the stronger sensations, she welcomed the light touch and didn't protest at all... although if he'd been trying to be 'subtle' at this point, she probably would have.

"You say that like I _have_ one" Lok 'retorted', if soft.

It was becoming difficult not to laugh, and even then her stomach shook once from that effort; she was certain he'd felt it. "Of course you do. Don't all men have egos?"

At that, he just straight up chuckled, and it wasn't long before she started giggling either- it went on for awhile, yet when she half-opened her eyes again, Lok was hovering over her/was very close. Instinctively feeling that he was going to kiss her, Sophie leaned up before he could, and while he was surprised, he soon got over it and gently returned the favor with ease.

"Joking aside, I definitely feel like going for another round" Lok whispered afterward, surprising her, before he let out a breath. "But at the same time, I'm not sure I could handle it... it felt like it was so quick, and yet took so long..."

Sophie had to admit, she's feeling the exact same way, what with the distinct 'weight' in her limbs.

"Well then" she breathed softly. "Maybe we can simply-"

Just then, a distinct ringing sound pervaded the room, enough to make both of them jolt... when they looked over though, it was coming from Lok's phone: it's timer, warning that there's fifteen minutes till she had to leave with Lucas.

She distinctly felt him 'slump' against her, and she couldn't say that she didn't want to do the same.

"...Well, I was _going_ to say we could cuddle together" Sophie said after a moment, exasperated (and disappointed). "But we no longer have time to do that properly."

Lok's sigh told her all she needed to know about how he felt, and him keeping his gaze down at first only added to it.

"We still could" Lok breathed, if half-heartedly.

She merely touched his cheek with her hand, showing that she understood, and when he lifted his head, briefly kissed him. Then after that, she gently-but-firmly pushed him to move off her, which despite clear reluctance - on both their parts - he went along with it as they both sat up... and the whole time, he wasn't at all hesitant or embarrassed about looking at her body (compared to their first experience).

Which she had to say was pretty thrilling; she could _definitely_ get used to it, even if she's still a touch nervous.

And on a side note, this business was of keeping her socks on during intimacy... hmm, she's not certain if it's a like just yet, but she didn't particularly mind the thought of repeating it, in the future...

Regardless, she soon got up - after a playful-ish half-hearted attempt by Lok to hold onto her; she played swatted him away, but they were smiling the whole time - and bent down to the floor, first tossing Lok his pants. He chuckled a bit before shifting to get them on, even as she started to reach for her skirt but paused midway, an idea coming to her mind... admittedly it made her more nervous, though only on principle, and she soon smirked a little.

"Hey, Lok?" she asked after a few seconds.

"Yeah?" he breathed, sounding like he's busy for a few seconds, before he made a surprised sound.

Standing now, her bra half-on - meaning it was in place up front, held up by a hand, but the straps still undon - she used her other hand to part her hair over her shoulder. "Would you mind doing this for me?" Sophie wondered, warmer and gentle, head tilted enough that she could see his reaction in her peripheral vision.

Needless to say, he hadn't expected that and was left staring at her for a bit, blinking several times...

She quite enjoyed that look too, even as she kept up her look. "What?" she breathed. "Don't you recognize a playful invitation when you hear one?"

He made a half-amused, half-surprised sound, before shaking his head and started to stand up. "Uh... no, I do; I just didn't expect this at all" Lok admitted, until she could almost feel him standing behind her - after a second, he slowly took her bra straps. "Still, wow. Even with what I said, I'm definitely uh, doing my best to enjoy myself here."

Half of that's probably because he's enjoying her state of undress, while he still can- the thought made her cheeks feel hot again, but otherwise she didn't mind.

"Uh, anyway I'll just... try this and..."

Before too long, he carefully - in with a bit of fumbling - managed to hook it together in back, leaving her to smile.

As expected.

When she turned around, Lok was a bit sheepish. "So, how'd I do?"

Sophie smirked a little. "Perhaps a bit off-center, but otherwise good" she teased-

-and which he raised an eyebrow, if still sheepish. "'Perhaps'?" he questioned, barely holding in a chuckle.

"Yes, 'perhaps'" she answered, if slipping her hands up to his cheeks.

Rather than continue the tease, Lok chose to end it by kissing her, easily holding her close against him- she didn't mind in the slightest as she kissed him back. And admittedly not just for the moment; he was still shirtless, and so the feeling of his skin on her's was a sensation that she was growing to like.

Even if she's no longer in an intimate mindset, that remains true.

A shame that they couldn't prolong the moment _too much_ , given that she had to leave so soon...

* * *

 **So it's been a long, long wait since the last chapter, and I do apologize for that - this last year simply lead to some unexpected changes in my life, and they definitely took a fair amount of my time/energy/motivation that I would've liked.** **On the bright side though, while my interest at the midway point didn't completely stop for months at a time - like with Book Three - I managed a steady-enough stream of updating Book Four through this time.**

 **As of this update, I have about 19.5 chapters of 26 done (with bits and pieces of the climax having been written as well), putting me around 75-80(ish)% done, all things considered... and I'm currently sitting a few hairs short of 200k total words; I'll probably surpass Book Three's word count at this rate hehe. Plus by extension of this update, and it being the last holiday season of the year, my current outlook about a potential release date is now sitting in the direct middle of next year (earlier if I'm lucky, later if I'm not).** **I'm sure many of you won't mind _too_ much, since by now something like that would've been rather likely, but even still, I feel sheepish about having to take longer than I was hoping XD**

 **Yet anyway, I hope you enjoy this second continuation of Lophie romance woven throughout my coming Book Four. There is a second Zhante continuation in the works as well - with vague, potential ideas about Post-Book Four stuff for both couples - and I certainly intend to release that one with considerably less of a gap between updates :P Oh, and course, Merry Christmas**


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